# Impersonate shouldn't clear notifications

**URL:** <https://meta.discourse.org/t/impersonate-shouldnt-clear-notifications/14808>\
**Category:** Feature\
**Tags:** impersonate\
**Created:** [April 16, 2014, 6:44pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/impersonate-shouldnt-clear-notifications/14808 "2014-04-16T18:44:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 3

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**Author:** ![lee-dohm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/lee-dohm/32/113511_2.png) [@lee-dohm](https://meta.discourse.org/u/lee-dohm)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 7:08pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/impersonate-shouldnt-clear-notifications/14808/3 "2014-04-16T19:08:53Z")

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As I understand it, there are two use cases for any feature of this type:

1. View the state of the system as the target user would see it
2. Perform actions on behalf of the user

To me, #1 is more “view as user” than “impersonate”. Impersonate has the implication of passing oneself off as someone else to obtain abilities one wouldn’t normally have, for example “impersonating an officer”. Even impersonation in some computer credentials and security contexts is for a user or process to obtain the credentials of another user or process to perform some action.

And #2 doesn’t have to be nefarious. “I can’t figure out how to delete this message and I just want it gone, can you help me out?”

It sounds like you want an additional mode to simply View As someone else?

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_[View the full topic](https://meta.discourse.org/t/impersonate-shouldnt-clear-notifications/14808)._